Product Description

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #520927 in Books
• Published on: 2007-08-07
• Released on: 2007-08-07
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 352 pages

From Publishers Weekly
Geology student Valena Walker receives a rude awakening when she arrives at Antarctica's McMurdo Station in this less than successful first in a new series from Andrews, creator of geologist-turned-sleuth Em Hansen (Eye for Gold, etc.). The scientist Walker was expecting to work for, Emmett Vanderzee, has been arrested on suspicion of murdering a journalist who died a year earlier. Still hoping to conduct research into glaciers but needing Vanderzee's supervision to keep her grant, Walker begins poking around the closed community of scientists and support staff for a way to clear his name. Andrews, who spent two months in Antarctica on a research grant for her novel, convincingly portrays life in one of earth's most hostile environments. Unfortunately, the whodunit plot isn't up to the atmospherics, while Walker comes up with a solution that's unrelated to her professional expertise. (Aug.)
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Review
Praise for the Novels of Sarah Andrews “Compelling.”
---The Dallas Morning News on Dead Dry

“Fans of this series will find plenty to like in Dead Dry, and any mystery reader who enjoys the lovely rocks of Colorado will, too.”
---Rocky Mountain News on Dead Dry

“Ably combining science and suspense, Andrews once again entertains and educates.”
---Publishers Weekly on Killer Dust

“Compulsively readable.”
---Houston Chronicle on Fault Line

“Andrews . . . has become a leading light. . . . Her novel is a suspenseful mystery spiked with dinosaurs, science, and religion: What more could readers ask for?”
---Publishers Weekly (starred review) on Bone Hunter

From the Inside Flap
“Compulsively readable.”
---Houston Chronicle on Fault Line Sarah Andrews is well known for her popular mystery series featuring forensic geologist Em Hansen. With In Cold Pursuit, she builds on that foundation and introduces a new lead character in this compelling mystery from the last continent.

Valena Walker is a dedicated master’s student in geology headed to Antarctica to study glaciology with the venerable Dr. Emmett Vanderzee. Being on the ice is something she’s dreamed about since she was a little girl. But when she finally arrives at McMurdo, she discovers that her professor has been arrested for murder, and what’s more, that the incident happened a year ago. A newspaper reporter who’d visited Antarctica the previous winter had died from exposure, and though no one was a fan of the guy---he was attempting to contradict Vanderzee’s research---by all accounts, everyone was devastated to lose someone on the ice.
Valena quickly realizes that in order to avoid being shipped north immediately and having her grant canceled, she must embrace the role of detective and work to clear his name---and save herself in the process.
Sarah Andrews received a prestigious grant from the National Science Foundation to spend two months on Antarctica to research In Cold Pursuit, and the authenticity of her portrait of this unforgiving land is breathtaking, making for her most compelling novel to date.

Customer Reviews

Couldn't finish it
I've found the Em Hansen series mildly interesting but couldn't finish In Cold Pursuit. The new heroine's visit to Antarctica is a fitting metaphor for the reader who finds themselves in a vast white space without much going on.

Great setting, great science, confusing narrative
Andrews shares lots of interesting scientific information about the Antarctic and about the studies being done there. The setting and the science were beautifly described and very informative. Unfortunately, I found the story itself to be rambling and confusing, with many characters introduced but none fleshed out. I got a pretty good feel for the protagonist, but most of the others were hard to tell apart. I had to read it in short segments and found it impossible to remember who was who, as there was not enough characterization to make them memorable. I plowed on to the end, but it was an unsatisfactory read.

Left me a little luke-warm
I'm a Sarah Andrews fan by virtue of having a geology degree and an interest in mysteries. "In Cold Pursuit" has fantastic Antarctic imagery and lots of science, maybe too much science, but the mystery is weak. This book just screams, "Let's introduce girls to science!" Not a bad thing, but overkill if you're already a girl/woman who likes science and just wants to read a good mystery.

I'm ok with Valena Walker as the heroine, and I like the way Andrews sneaks Em Hansen into the book. It is implausible sending one person all over the globe, so it makes sense to have Valena be the one in Antarctica. But why do Andrews' heroines always fall to pieces over their love lives? Are there really that many intelligent women scientists whose love lives are an emotional wreck? And the worst part is that they seem to fall instantly for coworkers. Ugh.

The very best part of the book is the Antarctic scenery. I don't like cold weather, and for the first time ever I would like to visit Antarctic.

BTW, my husband says the Polar Bear did it. I think he was trying to make a bad joke.